Steve Spurrier, known for his candid takes, recently voiced his frustrations about the College Football Playoff selection process.
The former coach questioned why Ohio State hosted a home playoff game against Tennessee when both teams had identical 10-2 records.
During a podcast appearance, Spurrier said, “If you were the home team, it was a fun weekend. Tennessee, we’re SEC — I guess we were sort of pulling for Tennessee against Ohio State. Anyway, why was the game at Ohio State? They were 10-2. Tennessee’s 10-2. Who had the tougher schedule? Should get the home game, in my opinion. Cause they were like, No. 8 and No. 9. Right there, together.”
Spurrier didn’t stop there, emphasizing the clear advantage Ohio State had. “I mean, home field. The team won convincingly in all four games. Don’t tell me there’s not an advantage,” he said.
The game, played in Columbus, ended with Ohio State advancing to the Quarterfinals, blowing out Tennessee 42-17. But Spurrier, along with many SEC fans, feels Tennessee was unfairly penalized. He argued that strength of schedule should have played a larger role in deciding which team earned home-field advantage.
Of course, he ignored the fact that Ohio State had wins over top-10 teams like Indiana and Penn State, and one of its losses was by one point to the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks on the road.
Unsurprisingly, Paul Finebaum echoed Spurrier’s sentiment, defending Tennessee’s place in the playoff. While Finebaum acknowledged that Tennessee didn’t have an extensive list of marquee wins, he pointed out that their victory over Alabama set them apart from teams like Indiana or SMU, who lacked similar standout performances.
Finebaum didn't mention how Tennessee was blown out by Ohio State, or that the Buckeyes had more quality wins than the Volunteers. He also didn't make note that Indiana and SMU both had better overall records than the Volunteers, who were still ranked ahead of the Hoosiers and the Mustangs.